Warriors Vs. Clippers 3/11/2021

The Clippers were riding a 3 game losing streak coming into this game. The Warriors were also riding a 3 game losing streak entering this game. This was also the first game after the All-Star break for each team so those losing streaks weren’t as eminent. Before this game these 2 teams had played twice earlier in the season and in the first of those games the Clippers won 108-101. In the second of those two games the Warriors had an amazing comeback win of 115-105 which made the season series 1-1. Both teams were fairly healthy in this game other than Klay Thompson and Marquese Chriss being out for the season. For the Clippers to win they needed to defend Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors well, take an early lead, and either Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul would likely need to have a nice game. For the Warriors to win they needed to make sure not not to get down early, play great defense, and Stephen Curry would likely need to have a nice game. Would the Warriors or the Clippers be able to snap their 3 game losing streak with their first win after the All-Star break? To the game!

Kevon Looney won the tip for the Warriors which led to a Serge Ibaka 3 after a defensive stop from the Clippers. At 10:48 Serge Ibaka made a short jumper to give the Clippers a 5 point lead. At 10:39 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a 3 to give the Warriors their first points of the game. At 9:30 Patrick Beverley made a 3 to give the Clippers a 7 point lead. Then at 6:25 Kevon Looney made 2 free throws to make it a 5 point game for the Warriors. At 5:30 Andrew Wiggins made a 3 to make it a 2 point game. At 2:50 Draymond Green made a 3 to tie the game at 20 for the Warriors. At 1:51 Lou Williams made a finger roll to give the Clippers a 2 point lead. Then at 1:29 Andrew Wiggins made a layup to tie the game once again for the Warriors. At 1:14 Stephen Curry made a technical free throw to give the Warriors the lead after Patrick Beverley got a technical foul. With 37.9 seconds left in the quarter Kawhi Leonard made a 3 to tie the game at 25 for the Clippers. With 4.3 seconds left in the quarter Kawhi Leonard made another 3 pointer to give the Clippers a 3 point lead. To end the quarter Kent Bazemore made 1 of 2 free throws. At the end of the first quarter the Clippers were leading 28-26. Andrew Wiggins played well in the first quarter with 7 points and Kawhi Leonard also played well leading the Clippers with 14. Serge Ibaka also played well with the first 7 Clipper points. This was a surprisingly close game in the first quarter considering that the Warriors had 4 fewer assists, 4 fewer rebounds, 1 more block, 3 fewer turnovers, and 2 fewer fouls than the Clippers. The Warriors and Clippers each had 3 steals in the first quarter too. The Clippers shot well in the first quarter with 47.8% from the field and 36.4% from 3. The Warriors didn’t shoot as well as the Clippers with 34.8% from the field and 33.3% from deep. The Warriors were lucky to be in this game after the first quarter and were in it mainly because of good defense. Both teams hoped to gain momentum and take a nice lead by halftime.

To start the 2nd quarter Lou Williams made a floater that gave the Clippers a 4 point lead. At 11:16 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a floater of his own to give the Warriors their first points of the quarter. At 10:34 Marcus Morris Sr. made a 3 to give the Clippers a nice 6 point lead. Then at the 10 minute mark Eric Paschall made a jumper to make it a 4 point game. At 9:49 Ivica Zubac slammed home a dunk to give the Clippers a 6 point lead once again. At 8:13 Lou Williams made a stepback, fadeaway jumper to give the Clippers a 10 point lead. At 7:49 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a dunk to make it an 8 point game. At 7:18 Ivica Zubac made 2 free throws to give the Clippers an 11 point lead. Then at 5:13 Jordan Poole made a 3 to make it a 10 point game. At 4:50 Kawhi Leonard made a 3 to give the Clippers a 13 point lead. At 3:27 Kawhi made a 3 to give him his 20th point of the first half and give the Clippers a 16 point lead. Stephen Curry followed that up with a layup to make it a 14 point game. At 2:44 Paul George made a 3 to give the Clippers a 54-37 lead. At 1:16 Andrew Wiggins made a couple of free throws to make it a 13 point game. With 29 seconds left in the half Reggie Jackson made 2 free throws to give the Clippers a 15 point lead. With 11.8 seconds left in the quarter Stephen Curry made a finger roll to remake it a 13 point game. To end the half Reggie Jackson made a 3. At halftime the Clippers were leading 59-43. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers in the first half with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists , and 3 steals. Serge Ibaka also played well for the Clippers with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and an assist. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Warriors with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry also played well with 9 points and 7 rebounds and 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block respectively. The Warriors played terribly in the 2nd quarter losing it 31-17 which is a difference of 14 points. The Warriors ended up with 6 fewer assists, 5 fewer rebounds, 2 fewer steals, 2 more blocks, 2 more turnovers, 5 more points off turnovers, and 2 more fouls than the Clippers at halftime. In the first half the Clippers shot well with 44.4% from the field and 45% from downtown. The Warriors didn’t shoot well with 34.1% from the field and 23.8% from behind the arch. The Clippers definitely dominated in the second quarter. In the 3rd quarter the Clippers hoped to ride their momentum and bust open the game. The Warriors on the other hand hoped to tie the game and give themselves a chance to win the game in the 4th quarter. To the third!

To start the 3rd quarter Serge Ibaka got a 3 point play to give the Clippers a 19 point lead. At 11:29 Nicholas Batum made a dunk to give the Clippers a 21 point lead. The next play Stephen Curry made a 3 give the Warriors their first points of the quarter and make it an 18 point game. At the 11 minute mark Nicholas Batum made a 3 to make it a 21 point game once again for the Clippers. At 10:06 Ibaka made a putback dunk to give the Clippers a 26 point lead. Then at 9:17 Draymond Green made a layup to make it a 24 point game. At 8:12 Nicholas Batum made a 3 to give the Clippers a 25 point lead. Andrew Wiggins quickly countered that with a layup that made it a 23 point game. At 7:08 Kent Bazemore made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a 20 point game for the Warriors. Then Kawhi and Steph traded layups leaving the score at 77-57. At the 6 minute mark Ibaka made a putback dunk to give the Clippers a 22 point lead. At 5:35 Paul George got a 4 point play to give the Clippers a 26 point lead. Then at 5:18 Damion Lee made a layup to make it a 24 point game. At the 4 minute mark Kawhi Leonard got a 3 point play to give the Clippers a 27 point lead. At 3:09 Paul George made a layup to give the Clippers a 30 point lead. At 2:48 Andrew Wiggins made a layup to cut the Warrior deficit to 28. Then at 2:35 Lou Williams made 2 free throws to retake a 30 point lead for the Clippers. With a minute left in the 3rd quarter Lou Williams made a floater to give the Clippers a 36 point lead. For the final points of the quarter Nico Mannion made a 3 pointer. At the end of the 3rd quarter the Clippers were leading 104-68. The Clippers had an amazing 3rd quarter winning it 45-25 and giving them a 36 point lead. The leading scorers after the 3rd quarter were Kawhi with 28 points and Wiggins with 15. The Warriors had 8 fewer assists, 15 fewer rebounds, 2 fewer steals, 1 fewer block, 2 more turnovers, 7 fewer points off turnovers, and 4 more fouls than the Clippers in the first 3 quarters. The Clippers shot well in the first 3 quarters with 49.3% from the field and 53.3% from 3. The Warriors on the contrary shot 35.8% from the field and 22.6% from downtown. Both teams entered the 4th quarter looking to finish the game well in garbage time.

To start the 4th quarter Jordan Poole made 2 free throws. At 11:34 Lou Williams made a floater to give the Clippers their first points of the quarter and give them a 36 point lead. At 11:27 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a jumper to make it a 34 point deficit for the Warriors. At 9:37 James Wiseman made a layup and failed to complete the 3 point play but was able to cut it to a 30 point game. Then at 9:20 Patrick Patterson made a 3 to give the Clippers a 33 point lead. At 8:03 Nico Mannion made 2 free throws to make it a 29 point game. At 7:47 Luke Kennard made a stepback jumper to give the Clippers a 31 point lead. James Wiseman followed that up with a 3 that made it a 28 point game. Then Luke Kennard and Kelly Oubre Jr. traded jumpers leaving the score at 115-87. At 6:15 and 5:50 Kennard and Wiseman made jumpers making the Clipper lead 28. At 5:22 Terance Mann made a 3 to give the Clippers a 31 point lead. At 5:12 Jordan Poole made a jumper to make it a 29 point game. At 4:42 Ivica Zubac made a dunk to retake a 31 point lead for the Clippers. At 4:28 Jordan Poole made a 3 to make it a 28 point game for the Warriors. Then at 2:27 Nico Mannion made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a 25 point game. At 2:11 James Wiseman made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a 24 point game for the Warriors. With 30 seconds left in the game Mfiondu Kabengele made 2 free throws to give the Clippers a 26 point lead. Those were the final points of the game. The Clippers ended up winning 130-104.

Leo’s Courtside Commentary: This was a terrible game for the Warriors and was similar to the game against the Lakers where the Warriors also lost by 26. The Clippers played amazingly in the 2nd and 3rd quarters winning them by 34 points with a score of 76-42. On the bright side for the Warriors they actually won the 4th quarter by 10 points. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Paul George followed closely behind with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Serge Ibaka also played well for the Clippers with their first 7 points of the game, a total of 16 points, 14 rebounds, and an assist. Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Warriors with a combined 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 1 assist. Jordan Poole also played well off the bench with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Warriors ended up with 3 fewer assists, 12 fewer rebounds, 4 fewer steals, 5 more turnovers, 14 fewer points off turnovers, and 1 more foul than the Clippers. The Warriors and Clippers each had 6 blocks too. The Warriors shot decently with 43.2% from the field, 25% from 3, and 70.4% from the free throw line. The Clippers shot a bit better with 45.8% from the field, 43.9% from downtown, and 82.8% on free throws. This was definitely not the ideal way to start the second half of the season for the Warriors and hopefully has nothing to do with foreshadowing. Overall, this was a rough game for the Warriors where they played badly.